


Seein’ Stars

by Astrarian



Series: Writer's Month, August 2020 [29]
Category: Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Gen, M/M, Prom, Writer's Month 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:20:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26294038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astrarian/pseuds/Astrarian
Summary: Dave and Benson flop down on the grass beside her. “Do you agree that Benson should ask Troy to prom?” Dave says.“I should not,” says Benson.“Of course you should!” Kipo says.--Kipo, Dave and Wolf convince Benson to ask Troy to be his prom date. Although it doesn't quite go down like that. Anyway, it's cool.(Writer's month 2020 - Day 29: high school AU)
Relationships: Benson/Troy (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts)
Series: Writer's Month, August 2020 [29]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1861909
Comments: 8
Kudos: 79
Collections: Writer's Month 2020





	Seein’ Stars

Kipo’s lying in their usual spot on the grass thinking about new walking routes for Mandu after school when Benson and Dave arrive.

“Yo, Kipo, I need you to back me up on something,” Dave says.

“Um, okay? It kinda depends on the something,” Kipo says. She’s learned to hedge her bets when it comes to backing Dave up.

Dave and Benson flop down on the grass beside her. “Do you agree that Benson should ask Troy to prom?” Dave says.

“I should not,” says Benson.

“Of course you should!” Kipo says.

“Told you,” Dave says to both of them, grinning. Kipo spots Wolf approaching over Dave’s shoulder. 

“Dave, stop, come on,” Benson says, picking at a blade of grass.

“Troy would definitely say yes,” Kipo says. “He likes you. You just have to ask him.”

“I’m not gonna ask him,” Benson says, turning his head away.

Kipo scrunches her mouth. “Oh, okay. I guess you can wait for him to ask you. It just seems kind of silly to wait when you could get an answer by the end of the day.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Benson says.

“Hey Wolf,” Kipo and Dave both greet as Wolf sits down with them. She grunts in reply and sprawls out on her back on the grass.

“We need some back up,” Dave says.

“Wolf, do you agree that Benson should ask Troy to prom?” Kipo asks.

Benson is the one to answer while Wolf blinks. “No, I shouldn’t, because I’m not putting myself out there like that,” he says, jaw clenched.

“Like what? He’ll definitely say yes!” Kipo says.

“Yeah, he’s always giving you the same starry eyes you give him,” Dave teases.

“You should ask him!” Kipo says.

“Stop it!” Benson says.

“We’ll stop,” Wolf says slowly, her mouth slowly curving into a sharp smile, “when you ask Troy to go to prom with you. Not a minute before.”

“Oooh,” Dave says while Benson stares at Wolf, slightly bug-eyed.

“He’s over there with Asher and Dahlia, by the way,” Wolf says, laconically pointing over Dave’s shoulder towards the school. “You know. Just if you want this to all be over soon. Because he will absolutely, one hundred percent, say yes.”

Troy, Asher and Dahlia are indeed walking outside together, probably looking for a patch of grass to claim as their own. Benson twists quickly, sneaking a look at the object of his affections.

It’s kind of odd that they aren’t already all just naturally sitting together. Kipo waves encouragingly at the three. Asher raises their hand back.

Benson twists back to face her. “Kipo!” he says.

“What?” Kipo asks, continuing to wave until she’s sure Asher, Dahlia and Troy are coming towards them. “They’re our friends! I think!”

Benson casts his gaze downwards again. “Why are you guys so sure he’d say yes?” he says quietly.

“Uhhhh, pretty sure I mentioned the starry eyes already, right?” Dave asks Kipo, exaggeratedly scratching his chin.

“Maybe it’s the way we all know you two have a lot in common!” Kipo says. “Asher and Dahlia think so too!”

“Maybe it’s because you’ve literally told us you think he’s cute and that’s a good enough reason for anyone to ask anyone to prom,” Wolf says, shutting her eyes.

“All you have to do is confidently say, ‘Troy, I like you. Would you like to go to prom with me?’” Kipo says. “Just like when you told me you were gay. Remember?”

“Oh, well, speaking of that,” Benson says, “why should I trust you? You misread all my signals!”

Dave raises his eyebrows at Kipo. “See what I mean? I needed back up.”

“I still recognised that there were signals,” Kipo says brightly to Benson. “We were thirteen, Benson. And Troy is a boy.”

Benson pulls a face. “But that was easy,” he says. “This is hard.”

“If that was easy, why is this hard?” Kipo asks.

“Because it’s easier to answer a question than ask a question!”

“Is it?” Kipo and Dave say together.

“Yes!”

“Benson,” Kipo continues. “Troy’s not some monster. What bad thing could he possibly say? He’s so nice! Especially to you!”

“He could say no!”

“Even if he does he’ll say it nicely!”

“So you think there’s a chance he’ll say no!”

“No!” Kipo says, as Dave says, “Nuh-uh, nah, no way,” at the same time.

“This is ridiculous, and I’m sure they’re almost here,” Wolf interrupts. “When they are, I’m gonna give you… one minute before I force the point.”

Benson nearly squeaks. “Wolf!”

“She’s got a point,” Dave says.

“Dave!” Benson hisses. Dave laughs. “Why are you all ganging up on me?”

“We’re not,” Kipo says. “We’re just encouraging you to do something we know you want to do!”

“Can’t one of you do it?”

“Ask Troy to prom?” Wolf says archly. “I don’t think that’s what you want.”

“I didn’t mean that!” Benson says.

He runs out of time as Troy, Asher and Dahlia arrive. Even though he looks like he’s about to jump out of his skin, he still manages to exchange greetings with the other three. They expand their circle so they have room to sit down (well, Kipo, Benson and Dave all shuffle back—Wolf remains slouched in exactly the same spot, although she does lift a single finger in acknowledgement of Asher’s hello), and Troy unsurprisingly picks the space beside Benson. Kipo just about manages not to make a squeaky noise of enthusiasm in their direction.

“We were just discussing prom,” Wolf says. Kipo watches Benson’s eyes flash to her, but Wolf’s eyes are still closed, so that reprimand for not even giving him a minute clearly won’t work.

“Oh? Us too,” Asher says, looking quite pointedly at Troy.

“Oh?” Kipo and Dave both say, their gazes following Asher’s.

“Oh right,” Benson says, deciding to stop glaring at Wolf in favour of chuckling nervously. Troy throws a sideways glance in Benson’s direction. 

Kipo feels sorry for Benson and says, “Well, it’s a big party, I guess it’s not surprising that we’re all talking about it. Lots to talk about. The music, the food, the… other people… um...”

Not a very successful attempt at a delaying tactic.

“Yeah, so, who are you guys going to ask to be your prom dates?” Dahlia says with all of the subtlety of a throwing axe. “Because I don’t really like anyone enough but you’re supposed to have a stupid date and I don’t want to be that person that has to go with their family member.”

“Hey,” Asher says, mildly, and rolls their eyes fondly when Kipo looks at them, like listening to Dahlia is something that Asher and Kipo have done together before.

It’s really nice. Kipo starts to feel pretty certain that they are, in fact, all friends. 

“Troy, what about you?” Dahlia says, so pointedly that Kipo thinks Dahlia and Wolf also might have more in common than anyone’s ever realised before.

Troy stares at his own lap, his cheeks turning slightly purple. “Well, I… um… uh, okay.”

Benson jerks upright in half-alarm, half-excitement as Troy turns to him. Kipo feels her own heart jump with excitement as well.

“Uh, Benson…” Troy says.

Kipo can’t keep herself from leaning forward eagerly, and Benson’s eyes flicker to her just for a second before returning to Troy’s face.

He completely steals Troy’s thunder by blurting, just as Kipo had suggested, “Troy, I like you.” 

Even Wolf opens her eyes as the words hang in the air for a second, two seconds, three...

Apparently Benson has forgotten the rest of the suggested sentence, and he starts looking like he’s going to jump out of his skin again, his gaze darting away. Kipo holds her breath.

The tension breaks, thankfully, although Benson doesn’t know it. It breaks with the relieved smile that blooms on Troy’s face.

“Yeah, me too,” Troy says. Benson’s eyes swing back to him, going starry.

“Do you wanna go to prom with me?” Troy asks.

Kipo lets out her held breath in a delighted squeak, which earns her the reward of everyone besides Benson and Troy staring at her. “Sorry!” she whispers, high-pitched.

Benson nods quickly at Troy. “Yeah,” he says. “Yeah! Um, yeah. I-I’d like that. That would be cool.” He clears his throat and chuckles nervously again.

Troy’s smile turns into a grin. “Great! Uh, I mean, cool, yeah.” He rubs the back of his neck quickly, his face looking like it’s about to break from smiling.

“That’s so cool, guys!” Kipo says, as Wolf mutters, “Finally,” and shuts her eyes again. Kipo notices the corners of her mouth turning up in a smile though.

Dave starts laughing. “Why’s everybody saying everything’s cool all of a sudden? That our new word of the hour?”

Asher laughs as well. “It is cool, though.”

Troy and Benson apparently also think it’s cool. Too cool to be able to join in with the conversation again just yet. Or too hot, if Troy’s blush is anything to go by. 

“Okay, cool,” Dahlia says. “We’ve confirmed I won’t be going as Troy’s date because to no-one’s surprise, Benson and Troy like each other.” She turns her scrutiny on Wolf, Kipo and Dave. “What about you three?”

“I don’t like prom,” says Wolf.

“She’s just kidding,” Kipo says.

“I’m not.”

“Okay, maybe she’s not kidding. She’ll still be going, though. With me.”

“No, see, sibling dates are exactly what I’m trying to avoid,” Dahlia says. “You and Wolf should go with me and Asher.”

“I’m not going,” Wolf says.

“Yes you are,” Kipo says.

“What about me?” Dave says.

“You can be my date too,” Dahlia says, shrugging. “Like I said, I don’t actually like anyone enough. Not like this,” she adds, a genuine smile slinking across her face as she jerks a thumb at Benson and Troy.

“Cool,” Dave says, nodding.

“Cool!” Kipo says.

“Cool,” says everyone else, except Wolf, who huffs to herself, and Benson and Troy, who are still grinning at each other with starry eyes. So actually it’s just Asher and Dahlia who say cool. That’s cool, though.

Kipo smiles happily. It’s really cool.


End file.
